Chapter 754 Advancement! (Second Update)
While the others present were unaware that Black Wind King had retired, Han Che was fully aware of it.
The horse was old and could no longer fight. In addition, it had been provoked by something and went mad to find its former master. The Han family determined that it had no military value.
The Han family announced that it had been retired.
In reality, they simply abandoned it, leaving it to fend for itself.
According to Chu Nan, it will not hesitate to sacrifice itself for its master after discovering that its former master will never return.
So many days have passed, it starved to death.
Why is it that it's standing right in front of me?
No, it's not exactly fine; it's lost a lot of weight.
You see, Han Che had always admired his elder brother's mount and dreamed of riding it himself someday. He would visit it every few days, so he was very familiar with its appearance.
He suddenly realized that Xiao Liulang must have taken the horse back. Xiao Liulang was a doctor, and who knew what method he used to prolong the life of the Black Wind King.
Unfortunately, the Black Wind King had long lost his will to fight. What good was prolonging his life? He was nothing more than a walking corpse!
Having figured all this out, Han Che felt no more fear or apprehension, but instead felt boundless mockery and disdain.
"Who do we have here? It's you, Xiao Liulang." He sat astride his Black Wind Steed, his gaze falling on Gu Jiao's spirited little face with a red birthmark, and said sarcastically, "You didn't have money to buy a horse, so you stole our Han family's old Black Wind King?"
Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback.
"What? Steal?"
"Did he steal his Black Wind King?"
"I was wondering why this kid ended up with Han Shizi's mount.
The cavalry competitors watching from the sidelines began to whisper among themselves.
A horse is to a cavalryman what a weapon is to a master; no one would not want to have the best.
But the best things are often unattainable for them, and they certainly don't want their rivals to have them.
If it belongs to someone whom everyone can only dream of, then the people's mentality is still somewhat balanced.
But once it is taken away by an ordinary person, this balance will be broken instantly.
The realization that "it was stolen" will undoubtedly make them feel a little better.
Unfortunately, Gu Jiao's existence is not to satisfy some people's self-comforting mentality; she is there to shatter their illusions.
Gu Jiao calmly said, "Your Han family's Black Wind King? Then try calling out to it and see if it responds."
Han Che choked for a moment, then stared intently at the horse on Gu Jiao's back, and said solemnly, "Black Wind King! Come here!"
Black Wind King remained unmoved.
"Black Wind King!"
Han Che issued another order.
Black Wind King remained as immovable as a mountain.
Han Che frowned.
Strange, this horse isn't usually this indifferent to me; it won't let me ride it, but at least it gives me some kind of response.
Han Che racked his brains, when suddenly a thought flashed through his mind: "Horseshoes! The horseshoes on its feet belong to our Han family!"
Gu Jiao patted Black Wind King: "Come on, boss, lift up your horseshoe so this blind man can see it."
Han Che was furious: "Who are you calling blind!"
Black Wind King raised his horse's hoof.
Its feet no longer bear the Han family's horseshoes, but the new horseshoes from the Imperial Preceptor's Hall.
If Han Che is so capable, he should go and argue with the Imperial Preceptor's Hall to see if the Imperial Preceptor's Hall stole the Han family's horses.
Han Che gritted his teeth and changed his attack direction: "Xiao Liulang, you are not qualified to participate at all!"
Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow: "If I can come here, I'm qualified. Speaking of which, didn't your Han family also hire someone to impersonate a member of the collateral branch?"
"You..." Han Che choked on his words, feeling guilty.
Among the soldiers watching from the other side, his father's deputy shook his head slightly at him, signaling him not to be led by the nose by Xiao Liulang anymore.
The more he talks, the more it proves that Black Wind King belongs to Xiao Liulang.
Xiao Liulang's every step seemed to be an answer to Han Che's questions, but in reality, Han Che had fallen into his trap.
Han Che took a deep breath, forcibly calming his raging emotions, and sneered, "What are you so smug about? You're just an old horse that our Han family has thrown away. Our Han family already has a new Black Wind King. You can take this old piece of trash if you want!"
"So it was Old Ma."
"It seems I have indeed heard that Black Wind King has retired."
"Isn't it too heartless to just throw it away after retirement?"
"I heard it ran away on its own."
"It was clearly this kid who stole it!"
"Alright, none of what you're saying matters. Bringing an old horse to compete? This kid must be crazy."
The sixteen-year-old horse was already beyond usefulness.
If it were in the Han family, a skilled horse trainer might have extended its service life, but in the hands of an ordinary boy, it's no different from a piece of trash.
Whether it was sensing the emotions of the crowd, or whether the horse itself realized the age of the Black Wind King, it is unclear.
What about being a king?
I'm getting old after all.
Young and strong are the victors on the battlefield!
The battlefield belongs to them!
"Everything is ready."
With a stern shout from the examiner, the group stood in front of their respective fire bridges.
In a sense, the cavalry on both sides had a slight advantage, as they were only affected by one side, while the cavalry in the middle were practically attacked from both sides, which had the greatest impact on their horses.
Gu Jiao was on the third fire bridge. To her left were experts from the Feng family, and to her right was another expert riding the Black Wind Riders.
The fire bridge and the blast zone have the same overall length, but they are not necessarily in the same location. For example, a fire bridge for one person starts at thirty steps and ends at seventy steps, while a fire bridge for another person starts at ten steps and ends at fifty steps.
The same applies to the blast zone.
This will cause great disturbance to the horses.
Gu Jiao gripped the reins tightly and gently stroked the Black Wind King's neck.
Black Wind King remained calm.
In contrast, the other horses were eager to try and seemed more ready to charge into battle.
It looked really old and was indifferent to the dangers around it.
"Won't it be unable to cross the wall and get burned to death?"
"He won't be burned to death, but he might get burned."
"It looks like it's struggling a lot. Is it too old to move?"
Criticism arose from the surrounding crowd, and no one had any hope for the sixteen-year-old Black Wind King anymore.
The Feng family expert said to Han Che, "It seems that the winner of this round will be either you or me!"
Han Che arrogantly said, "You're wrong, you don't get a share!"
The Feng family expert said coldly, "Just you wait and see!"
The gong sounded, and the competition began.
Several horses tensed their muscles, leaped, and galloped forward!
This is the highest overall quality of the horses. Four of the six horses are Black Wind Riders, and the other two are also trained and powerful warhorses.
They are swift and agile, they are invincible!
However--
Gu Jiao's horse, however, did not move.
Everyone: "..."
Is it scared?
Or is it really Alzheimer's disease?
"Look! Han Che's horse has charged out of the fire bridge!"
Han Che took the lead and crossed the raging fire bridge.
His position on the fire bridge was closest, so it wasn't surprising that he was the first to step out. However, his agile figure and skillful horsemanship still made everyone's eyes feast.
Some exclaimed, "As expected of Han Shizi's younger brother, this is the skill that the Lord of Black Wind should have."
The other four horses also stepped onto their respective fire bridges one after another.
Gu Jiao and Black Wind King became the laughing stock of the entire audience.
Are these two trying to be funny?
The competition is over—
As everyone was laughing, a dark shadow suddenly flashed before their eyes, too fast to catch.
Everyone was stunned.
"What just passed by?"
"No, I didn't see it—"
"Ah—that kid's gone!"
The man and horse that were originally standing there have disappeared without a trace.
"Look! Up, up, up—"
Before the words "fire bridge" could be finished, Black Wind King had already led Gu Jiao down the fire bridge.
Black Wind King caught up with his first opponent and left him far behind!
Black Wind King overtook his second opponent.
The third one, the fourth one!
All the horses seemed to suddenly slow down.
In fact, it wasn't that they were slow, but that the Black Wind King was too fast!
Is it old?
They're saying it can't run anymore?
Then I'll let you grandsons run half the race!
The Black Wind King's terrifying explosive power left everyone speechless. Its muscles were taut, and the flow of muscle lines could be clearly seen with its running movements, a symbol of immense power.
Han Che took the lead and was about to reach his designated demolition zone.
He had just glanced at the box; he had left the second-place player far behind.
He will definitely be the first—
With a loud bang, Han Che's heart skipped a beat!
The Black Wind Riders were not startled, after all, they were trained, but Han Che was not prepared and almost fell off his horse!
"Who the hell is doing this—" Han Che turned his head to look.
With a whoosh, before Han Che could even see clearly, Black Wind King had already rushed into the blast zone of the third track.
Explosions rang out in rapid succession, billowing smoke and flying dust; the speed was so fast that it triggered a high frequency of explosions.
It was like a string of firecrackers going off, exploding wildly and disrupting the rhythm of the entire competition.
The two horses immediately bolted, one running off the track and the other causing the rider to fall off.
Both of them were eliminated.
The Feng family experts used their internal energy to stabilize the frightened horse, but they couldn't hold it for long before they entered their own blasting zone.
Han Che also entered at the same time.
Another round of crackling sounds followed.
Another horse got scared and ran out of the game.
The Black Wind King was completely unaffected. It roared and ran as fast as lightning, leaving Han Che and the Feng family experts far behind. They were the kind of people that even a shot of adrenaline couldn't catch up with!
Gu Jiao squeezed her legs tightly around the horse's belly. Her strength seemed to merge with that of the Black Wind King. Although it was their first battle, it was as if they had coordinated their movements a thousand times, or as if they had an innate tacit understanding.
We're about to go up to the high platform.
From a distance, Gu Jiao thought the platform was about the same height as her.
Only when they got closer did they realize that this platform was even taller than Gu Changqing!
At least 2.3 meters tall!
"Prepare to accelerate." Gu Jiao stepped onto the stirrups and stood up from the saddle, slightly lifting her body off the ground. She leaned down and gripped the reins tightly. "Charge!"
Black Wind King's speed was already unbelievably fast, but no one expected it could accelerate even further!
It rose abruptly from the seven-foot-high platform and leaped into the air!
The surroundings seemed to fall silent all at once; everyone held their breath, and the explosions could no longer be heard.
Everyone couldn't help but feel nervous for the Black Wind King.
This platform is too high! Can it even climb up there?
Black Wind King easily stepped onto the platform and landed steadily, demonstrating its strength with ease!
That damn useless old Ma!
You Han family are blind!
"Sir, the height of the platform is wrong; it's one foot too high."
"Then hurry up and surrender!"
"Cavalry have already gone up."
"Where are the Han family and the Feng family?"
"We haven't gone up yet."
"Then lower your price!"
There is a mechanism underneath the platform that allows it to be raised and lowered freely.
Gu Jiao felt the platform slowly descend.
Oh, are you lowering the height?
Is it acceptable to cheat so openly?
Among the crowd, some scions of prominent families complained, "Isn't this going too far? Why didn't they lower their prices earlier or later? They only lowered theirs after everyone else had already gone up. This is unfair!"
Gu Jiao rode the Black Wind King, facing the direction from which Han Che and the Feng family experts were coming.
She licked the corner of her lips with the tip of her tongue and said with amusement, "Useless effort."
Han Che was overjoyed to see the platform lowered.
He said that the platform wasn't that high during training yesterday.
Now there's no chance of anything going wrong.
He smirked and spurred his horse forward.
Black Wind King suddenly charged over, raised his horse's hoof, and kicked him and his horse off the ground!
Caught off guard, Han Che: "...!!"
This move is very dangerous because the platform is too high, and you could easily fall off due to inertia.
Ordinary cavalrymen wouldn't let their mounts do that.
However, Gu Jiao is no ordinary person, and Black Wind King is no ordinary horse either.
If you dare to come, I dare to kick you!
Black Wind King demonstrated to everyone its severely underestimated fighting power.
It was as if it had risen from the ashes, its power reborn.
Han Che was kicked unconscious and eliminated on the spot.
The Feng family expert played a cunning trick. While Gu Jiao and Black Wind King were dealing with Han Che, he leaped up from the other side of the platform.
Unexpectedly, the Black Wind King turned around and attacked, smashing the mount of the Feng family expert to the ground!
Feng family expert: "Holy crap!"
A man and his horse fell from the high platform. To avoid being crushed into mincemeat, the Feng family expert had no choice but to abandon his horse and flee.
The Feng family expert is out!
"Advanced this round—Xiao Liulang!"
Please vote for Black Wind King!
(End of this chapter)
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